Dear Mr Gove….

I seem to have to write to/about you fairly often. Yet here we are again. I am extraordinarily delighted that your fellow MPs have seen fit to point out all the flaws in your rushed and hurried GCSE replacement plan. So we can all gratefully wave goodbye to the English Baccalaureate Certificate. I should imagine those with children who were due to be among the first to sit the ‘dreamt up in a panic’ EBACC are extra relieved. I have a 9 year old, and am now fully aware that he is likely to be among the first few years of whatever your next plan is.

Please take your time now. Please take advice from those with expertise in education and children. Please find a way that best suits a wide range of abilities giving all children a chance to shine in their own way, while still reflecting their capabilities so that universities and employers have a clear idea of what a grade means. Please ensure all children leave with the basic skills for work and life. And please ensure that those include things wider than the vital Maths and English. Respect for others, kindness and fairplay are as important as long division. Yes, being able to write a formal letter is a skill we all need, but so is self-confidence and pride in your work. I, as a parent, will always do my best at my part of the deal, and the majority of teachers I come across do their best within the boundaries they have to stick to, so step up to the mark Mr Gove and give us the best school system you can,